2010-09-27
Explanation
This comic satirizes the misuse of mathematical terminology to make philosophical claims. An older man argues that the existence of "irrational" numbers proves the universe is irrational. A younger man explains that "irrational" is just a naming convention referring to numbers that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers. The older man smugly doubles down, calling it "irrational" that you cannot do that. The younger man delivers the devastating rebuttal: "So, if the Greeks had named them 'boobs numbers,' by your logic, the universe would be boobs?" The older man concedes, "That is correct," then is shown about to burn down a Museum of Greek History while yelling "Bastards!"
The comic lampoons the fallacy of equivocation, where someone conflates a technical definition of a word with its colloquial meaning to draw a faulty conclusion. The term "irrational number" has nothing to do with irrationality in the psychological sense; it comes from the mathematical concept of ratios. The final panel hilariously shows the older man, rather than abandoning his flawed reasoning, blaming the ancient Greeks for not naming the numbers something that would make his argument lead to a more desirable conclusion about the nature of the universe.